Ronan O'Gara chooses his Lions XV - and there is no room for Sheehan and Furlong
The Lions are gearing up for their opening test next weekend when they will take on the Aussies in Brisbane.
And La Rochelle head coach O'Gara has weighed in with his squad for the first Test, with perhaps the most surprising element the absence of Irish pair Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan from the front row.
"I suppose the first thing is, where's Tadhg Furlong and where's Dan Sheehan?" O'Gara said on Sky Sports.
"For me, they're the two best in the world in their position so I'd like to finish the game with them just to have that security to know that a Test game is usually won in the last eight to 12 minutes, because a team is rarely two scores ahead.
"In that regard, I went with that logic.
"It can be picked apart, obviously, but I just think for me, I prefer to finish with the strongest 15 as opposed to starting with it. But maybe Sheehan and Furlong can go 80 minutes, there are tiny margins.
"Andrew Porter is an exceptional loosehead, I think that's an area of massive strength. I've gone with familiarity in the back-row [Ireland trio Beirne, Van der Flier, Conan], because I think the bench impact of Ben Earl and Henry Pollock just adds an awful lot to it, with probably the benefit of them covering as centres as well. I like what they do as hybrids."
O'Gara has opted for the centre pairing of Bundee Aki and Scotland's Huw Jones, while Hugo Keenan gets the nod at full-back. And he believes Owen Farrell deserves a place on the bench as a utility back.
He said: "In the backs, it's pretty straightforward. There's obviously a big debate in terms of who do you play at 12 if you're going with Huw Jones at 13, as Garry Ringrose is ruled out through injury," he said.
"Do you go Sione Tuipulotu? Do you go Bundee Aki? You could go either way.
"Do you back yourself and just go: 'Go boy, go play. Show what you're good at.' I think Aki's the best in the world at winning gain-line. He gives front foot ball.
"He makes the front-five get on the ball in the second phase with winning a gain-line. The game is so much easier when you win collisions."
O'Gara's British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Joe McCarthy, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Jack Conan.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Alex Mitchell, 23 Owen Farrell.
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